Water Wars

10:19 pm

Tue March 26, 2013

Georgia lawmakers made a move that could impact a decades long water dispute with Alabama and Florida.

Credit Southern Environmental Law Center

Georgia lawmakers are seeking to redraw the state's border with Tennessee and have authorized the state attorney general to file a lawsuit if negotiations fail.

The House voted 157-13 Tuesday to adopt a resolution seeking a strip of land leading to the Tennessee River. The offer will be sent to Tennessee officials, who have rebuffed previous efforts.

Georgia lawmakers argue an 1818 survey misplaced the 35th parallel. If Tennessee's southern border stretched along the parallel, as Congress decreed in 1796, Georgia could take water from the Tennessee River. The issue took on importance amid a dispute among Georgia, Alabama and Florida that threatened metro Atlanta's water supply.

The resolution says a lawsuit can be initiated if an agreement is not reached by the last day of the 2014 legislative session.